5 Keys for Better Collaboration Between Sales and Marketing

We're pleased to present this guest post by Sam Narisi of Frost & Sullivan. Read on for concrete tips to help unite sales and marketing.

All business units are under increasing pressure to show the
real value they provide to the organization, and marketing is no different.
That means marketers are no longer being asked simply to deliver a bunch of
leads – they’re being held accountable for making sure those contacts turn into
actual revenue.

What can marketers do to meet those new demands? One of the
keys is to work more closely with the sales team to ensure marketing strategies
and sales goals are aligned.

Doing so will help both marketing and sales improve their
operations and ultimately boost the company’s bottom line.

Break down the silos

In too many organizations, marketing and sales teams operate
separately, with little collaboration beyond marketers stuffing leads into the
sales pipeline. However, there are some steps marketers can take to break down
the silos and open up the lines of communication.

Here are five tips outlined by Rob Butters, Principal Analyst
with Frost & Sullivan, during a recent webinar:

Align
schedules – A lot of benefit can come from a fairly simple change: Get
marketing and sales operating on the same cycle, with all planning geared
toward the same goals. However, in many companies, marketing and sales do their
planning and hold their big kick offs at different times of the year. Aligning
those schedules will help get everyone on the same page.

Get sales
reps involved – Marketers can gain a lot by including members of the sales
team in their planning sessions. And that means not only the sales director or
VP of sales, but also the “voices on the street” – i.e., the sales people who
are interacting directly with customers. Those people can share valuable
opinions and insight that will help marketing do a better job at nurturing
leads until they are “sales ready”. For instance, they can shed light on potential
customers’ top concerns, what types of content attract the best prospects, and
what kinds of feedback they’re hearing straight from customers.

Share
information – Likewise, marketers have access to a lot of information that
can help the sales team improve its results. For example, marketing should be
able to know what actions leads have taken before they’re contacted by a sales
rep, for example, what white paper they downloaded, what video they watched,
etc. Knowing those details will help sales reps conduct their conversations with
prospects more effectively.

Speak the
same language – If marketing and sales are going to share information back
and forth, it’s important that both sides keep track of the right data. The two
teams should meet to decide which metrics to track as well as decide on a
common terminology so that everyone can understand each other.

Review
and refine the strategy – Getting marketing and sales aligned doesn’t
happen with one quick meeting. It’s a never-ending process that requires
continual effort by both sides to stay on the same page and working toward the
same goal. That’s why it’s critical for leadership on both the sales and
marketing sides to be on board and put in the effort to keep the collaboration
going.

What is your experience getting sales and marketing working in tandem? Please share your successes and struggles!

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In too many organizations, marketing and sales teams operate separately, with little collaboration beyond marketers stuffing leads into the sales pipeline. However, there are some steps marketers can take to break down the silos and open up the lines of communication.